


Connections Formed Around the Smoke

by LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Aina is Best Girl, BDSM, Barbecue, Cookouts, Dad Ignis Ex, Dominant Lio Fotia, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Galo Thymos Being an Idiot, Galo's a Big Puppy, Humor, Idiots, Insecurity, Lio Fotia is a Tease, Lucia is a Troll, M/M, Minor Angst, No Showing of the Actual Deed, Remi is the Only Sane Man, Sexual Humor, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Varys is a Bro, Vinny has a Crush on Lio, Who is also a Pervert, With a Dark Mysterious Past, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio/pseuds/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio
Summary: The annual Burning Rescue cookout is coming up! Nothing but good times...if these idiots survive to the end of the week!
Relationships: Burning Rescue Members & Galo Thymos, Burning Rescue Members & Lio Fotia, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, Remi Puguna/Other(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	1. Assignments

**Author's Note:**

> Promare is such a summer movie to me, so I just had to write a summer-themed fic for it!

Entering the lounge area on a Monday morning, Galo and Lio are surprised to see the rest of the squad assembled together, appearing to be led in a discussion by the captain.

“Okay,” said man begins, “So we’ve agreed to no water balloon fights after what happened last year; do you understand, Lucia?”

To that, Lucia mutters, “ _One lost finger, and everyone thinks balloons are dangerous.”_

“What’s goin’ on guys?” Galo asks, walking over to them, Lio trailing behind.

“Galo!” Aina calls out cheerfully, “Sit down, we’re planning out this year’s barbecue!”

Gasping, eyes going wide, Galo gets out, “It’s that time already?!” Basically cannonballing down onto the couch, he demands, “Catch me up!” as he motions for Lio to come over.

Shaking his head at Galo’s antics, Remi decides to catch him up to speed.

“Well,” he begins, “We’ve decided to have it this Saturday around 10:00, so try and wake up, and we’ll be at the captain’s place as usual. We’ve just agreed to what to ban, which we’ve narrowed down to races, anything stronger than beer, going inside that one locked room in the captain’s house, trying to find his gold deposit and finally, water balloons; Varys still has nightmares.”

Rubbing a spot on his arm, eyes blown back and staring off into the distance, Varys softly says, “ _He was so young…”_

Raising an eyebrow, Lio asks, “Excuse me?” from where he stands behind Galo.

“Lio,” Aina says tensely, “You _really_ don’t want to know.”

“…Okay.”

“We’re still working on the menu, though,” Remi says, cutting through the heavy air.

“Is it still ‘Everyone Brings Something?’” Galo asks.

“Yes, and I guess it’s finally time to decide who’s in charge of what.”

While the others start discussing the matter, Lio decides to take the chance to take care of some paperwork and starts to walk off.

“Huh? Hey, Lio, where are you going?” Lucia asks, quickly getting everyone else’s attention focused on him.

Turing back, he regards them with an even stare and says, “I have some work to do, please, continue your discussion.”

“What?!” Galo calls out, “Get back over here, we need you!”

Confused, Lio asks, “Exactly what service would I be able to provide for this situation?”

“Well,” Aina pipes up, “What you need to _bring,_ for starters.”

Tilting his head and blinking, surprise evident on his face, Lio manages to make a, “Hm?”

“You…do know you’re invited, right?” She asks, slightly concerned.

“…”

“Fotia,” Remi starts, “You’re more than welcome to come if you want.”

“Yeah,” Lucia agrees, “It’s just a glorified team building workshop where you get free food.”

“But…I don’t work here.” The Burnish argues, “I’m only here for community service reasons.”

“Fotia,” Ignis cuts in, “You’re as much of a member of this team as anyone else.”

“But, sir, I-”

“Just shut up and take your seat.” The man waves him off.

Settling next to Lucia, ignoring Galo’s gestures to take a seat on his lap, Lio decides to join the others.

“Okay then,” Remi picks the discussion back up, “We’ll divide this into parts: Varys will provide appetizers, Aina will take care of drinks, Lucia can pick _one_ dessert to bring,” he says with a finger raised and a strict look on his face, “the captain will take care of the meat, I will bring actual vegetables so, I guess all that’s left is a side that you two will be responsible for.”

“Alright!” Galo calls out cheerfully, pumping his arms up, “‘ _Lio de Galon: Sizzlin’ Summer Cooking Special’_ is a go!” He ends with a dab, standing on the couch.

“Galo, get down,” Ignis barks out, said idiot quickly complying, “Okay, now let’s take a second and decide: Does everyone want burgers or steaks?”

This sets off excited shouts which quickly devolve into bickering (and threats from Lucia, who doesn’t really care but finds the arguing amusing), until Varys calls out, “Hey, Lio! Be the tiebreaker!”

Flinching at being addressed, Lio answers, “I don’t particularly know what the argument is over.”

“How do you like your beef?” Ignis asks.

Straining his mind for an answer, Lio finally gets out in an unsure voice, “In the red bag?”

“…You mean, jerky?”

“That’s the only kind we were able to get from the gas station, sir.”

…

The silence is broken by the crying of Galo and Varys, clinging to each other as they are reminded of just how awful Lio’s life has been.

“THAT’S WHY HE’S SO SKINNY!” Varys calls out.

“I’M SORRY, LIO, I FORGOT HOW MUCH YOUR LIFE SUCKS!” Galo apologizes to his partner.

“Galo, Heavy Machine Operator Truss,” Lio tries to calm them, to no avail, “It’s fine, everything’s alright now, please stop crying.”

Turning around, he sees the other members regarding him rather forlornly.

“Please stop, it wasn’t that bad.”

“What about the other Burnish?” Aina counters.

“They deserved better, they shouldn’t have had to suffer like they did.”

“That’s a complete contradiction.”

“No, if everyone else is okay, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.” He responds without missing a beat.

Ignoring the call of, “NO IT’S NOT!!!!!” from Galo, Aina stares in shock at the small man, “…You’ve _really_ got to do something about your martyr complex, Lio.”

“WHY ARE YOU SO NICE?!!!!” Galo screams out, “YOU DESERVE SO MANY THINGS!!!!”

“I WISH WE COULD HUG YOU INSTEAD OF EACH OTHER,” Varys bemoans, “BUT IT’S OKAY IF YOU’RE NOT READY!!!”

Patting their shoulders Remi tries to calm them down, saying comforting words like, “There, there,” and “It’s okay, he’s safe now.”

 _Oh man, Lio…_ Galo thinks to himself, _Don’t you worry, I’m gonna make it all better! Yeah! I’m gonna make sure you have a super fun time at the party, no matter what! And together, we’re gonna make the best damn…Oh…wait…_

“Umm…” he begins, detaching himself from Varys, “Can you… _do_ this, Lio?”

“Excuse me?” His lover asks in response.

“…You know what? Forget it! We can do this!” He declares, pumping his fists, “We’ll pull through with our burning chef souls!”

“…Are you trying to imply something?”

“Nope! I’m saying it loud and clear: Your cooking sucks, but I’ll help!”

Growling, Lio says, “Galo…”

“Like, seriously!” Galo continues, ignoring everyone’s signals to shut up, “I mean, the last time you made something, you managed to get it all burnt and raw! And it was _pie_!”

_CRRRRRSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!_

Is the sound made when Lio jabbed his elbow into Galo’s face, the impact knocking him into the wall on the other side of the building, a crater forming behind him.

Rubbing his head as he moves up into crisscross applesauce, Galo demands, “What was that for?! I was just telling the truth!”

Glaring down at him from across the room, Lio spits out, “Well, you didn’t _have_ to eat it, idiot!”

“You looked so excited, though! And the doctors were really nice!”

“If you don’t stop talking, I’m going to use force the next time.”

“Oh?” Galo questions cockily, waltzing back over with his hands in his pockets, forehead clashing against Lio’s in perfect sync, “You didn’t even bother to come at me full throttle? Then you’re insulting me and you! I thought your soul was hotter than that, Lio!”

“Oh, not again…” Remi mutters, facepalming.

“Would you prefer it if I left you split in half on the floor?” Lio threatens, composure barely hiding an aura of pure fury.

“I’d like to see you try, _Firebug_!” Galo challenges as their hands come together, each pushing against the other in an attempt to obtain dominance.

“Guys!” Aina interjects, “Quit trying to prove who’s is bigger and get back over here! Lio, your bones are too fragile to be exercising too much right now, and Galo! You _know_ he’s stronger than you!”

“Not until _he_ learns to keep his mouth shut!” / “A real man never backs down, Aina!”

_BAM!_

Is made by the captain pounding on both of their heads, leaving bumps behind as they both fall to the floor.

Regarding the stunned subordinates still conscious, Ignis asks, “Alright, everyone okay with a coin toss?”


	2. Spread Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has their assignments, it's time to attack!...And hopefully not die.

The coin toss ends with heads, so it looks like they're doing burgers. Just get some hot dogs too, and they’re all good.

Walking into the butcher shop after work that evening, he’s greeted enthusiastically by the shopkeeper, to which he waves back in response.

“Ignis!” Antonio cheerfully calls out, “Is it that time of the year already?”

“Yup,” he confirms, “Need some burger meat.”

“I see, worry not my friend! I know exactly what you need! You wait right here, I’ll go pick it up.”

Trusting the man’s judgement, Ignis leans on the counter and waits.

_CRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!_

A knife is hurled through the store window, one which Ignis catches mere centimeters from his face.

A note is attached.

Releasing the string connecting it to the blade, Ignis reads as Antonio barges back in with meat in hands, hysterically demanding to know what’s going on.

_Midnight, on the birth of a moon. The place of our first meeting. Where we first said, “Hello,” one of us will bid farewell to the land of the living._

Balling his hand into a fist, crumpling the paper, Ignis knows.

_He’s back…and he’s finally ready to settle the score._

“Ignis?” Antonio whimpers.

_A new moon…that’s Friday. That means…_

“Antonio…”

Said man asks, “Yes?” in fear.

An intense look, eyes showing through his sunglasses, Ignis asks,

_“It’s beautiful, how much is it?”_

…

“…Oh, you mean the meat.”

“Yes.”

“$3…$3.65 a pound.”

Chuckling, Ignis gets out his wallet, pocketing the knife and note, “Bleedin’ me dry as usual; can’t really complain, yours is the best in town. Give me about thirty pounds, Galo and Varys are coming.”

Getting his order ready, trembling, Antonio rings him up.

“Thanks, and if I don’t come back,” Ignis says, looking at the butcher, a fond look on his face, “Thank you, for never steering me wrong whenever I came to you.”

“Ignis, what is going on? Do you owe someone money?”

“No,” he tells the terrified man, “An old acquaintance is back in town, and what we need to settle is over something far more important than money.”

Placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, Ignis gives a slight smile, “You’re a good man, Antonio; you’ve more than paid me back for Guatemala; I hope you live a good life.”

Sniffling, Antonio, whimpers, “Ignis…”

“Don’t cry, I knew this day would come, but I chose to live anyway. No need for tears.”

Heading out, he turns as he walks out the door, and calls out over his shoulder, “And if I come back, I’ll let you know how much the kids loved the meat.”

Leaving the store, Ignis goes over the situation in his head.

_Friday…the barbecue’s the day after that…I should leave Remi a note in case I don’t make it…_

_…_

_…No. I won’t lose. I won’t let them down._

Looking up to the sky, Ignis steels himself.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Come on, Lio!” Galo whines down the aisle, “I’m sorry!”

Ignoring him, Lio continues to look for what’s on the list. Bending down to get a better look, he points his ass directly in Galo’s field of vison.

“I was just messing around, I’m sorry!” Galo pleads as he feels the heat pool in his stomach.

“Hmm…” the other man mumbles, amusing himself with Galo’s torment, “I guess the noodles aren’t in this aisle.”

Returning to a standing position, he bites his gloved finger in a thinking stance, hip cocked to the side, other hand squeezing it, making the heat in Galo’s belly grow tenfold.

“Liooooo…” he whimpers pathetically.

“Oh well,” Lio shrugs, “I guess we’ll keep looking.”

Putting all his effort into walking, Galo follows as Lio leads, a sway in his step making the pain all the worse.

A weaker man would have fallen to the ground in agony, but Galo Thymos is a man with _no_ weakness!

Finding the aisle with pasta, they notice a free sample stand.

At that, Lio gives him a momentary smirk.

Okay, he’s a man with _one_ weakness.

“Excuse me, sir?” Lio asks, curious, innocent, “What are you promoting today?”

 _Okay, Galo, you can do this! Do NOT focus on whatever he’s about to do with his mouth! Yeah, just, focus on the fact that he’s eating and you didn’t have to tell him! Yeah! Aww, Lio_ is _taking recovery seriously! He’s gonna get all nice and healthy…_

“Sausages!” The vendor replies, chipper.

…

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

“That sounds wonderful, may I have one?” Lio asks, a slight smile on his face, causing a blush to break out on the vendor and several others around them.

“Y-Yes, here! Please, take one!” The man stumbles, handing a sample to Lio, shaking.

“Thank you,” Lio responds, eyes closing momentarily, a look of pure angelic quality on his face…

“Ahhh…”

…One that hides the demon out to destroy Galo.

Taking the sample to his mouth, Lio begins to circle it with his tongue, slight licks every once in a while, done in elegant lines by that talented tongue.

“Mmmm…”

At least six people have stopped what they were doing to watch.

Leaning his head back, supporting himself on the stand, Lio begins to pop the weiner in and out of his mouth.

“Wow…” he pants, “It’s pretty… _thick.”_

The employee that came to check out what was going on has also been hypnotized.

As the pain causes Galo to hunch.

“Liooooo….” He whispers, _“Why?”_

Looking Galo right in the eye, Lio finally bites down on the head of the weiner.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

“LIO!” Galo yells out, “I’M SORRY, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!!! DO YOU WANT ME TO GET ON MY KNEES AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS, _IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?????!!!!!!!!!”_ He wonders, attracting a crowd.

“Yeah,” Lio confirms, “Let’s see some begging.”

…

Galo is in love with a monster.

Lowering himself to his knees, his dick hard as a rock between them, clasping his hands, Galo begins, “Lio, I’m sorry I made fun of your cooking, I was just messing around, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings! I just think it’s cute when you get teased a little and you make that little pouty face! It’s #5 in my ‘Fifteen Favorite Lio Angry Faces List!’ _Do you know how hard it is to MAKE these lists?!!!! You only change your facial expression once every three days!_ But I still love you, and I shouldn’t mess with you so much! Please forgive me!”

Tilting Galo’s face up, Lio silences his pleas with a kiss.

A gentle half-smile on his face, Lio strokes Galo’s head and tells him, “It’s fine, you’re forgiven, darling.”

Face erupting into a smile full of wonder, Galo squeezes his arms around Lio’s waist, lifting him up into the air as he stands up and twirls him, shouting, “YES! Thank you, oh, dude, I love you!” much to the amusement of the crowd, going, “Aww!” at the display.

After being lifted down with several kisses on the face, Lio puts a hand on Galo’s shoulder and tells him, “Let’s go finish shopping, Galo Thymos.”

“YEAH!” The larger man declares, fist pumping, “Let’s go get stuff for mac and cheese!” as the crowd cheers.

“And when we get home,” Lio says as they walk off, “I’ll take the cock cage off.”

“YES!” Galo cheers while the crowd goes silent, walking bowlegged behind his partner.

…

“Mommy?” One child asks, “What’s a ‘cock cage?’”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tuesday finds Aina at the convenience store looking for everyone’s favorite drinks.

Stopping briefly in the fruit section to grab some lemons for lemonade, she begins to go over what everyone wants.

“Okay,” she mutters to herself, “Galo and Lucia like to destroy their livers with energy drinks, Remi likes floral tea, the captain likes this kind,” she says as she pulls a beer pack out, “Varys likes that kind over there, and Lio doesn’t care, so he gets water.”

Everyone’s requests memorized, she starts to look.

Seeing as how Galo and Lucia lack control, once she gets to the energy drinks, she decides to just get one for each of them, and let them suffer through water and her mom’s special lemonade for the rest of the little shindig.

Finding Remi’s tea, she’s careful to grad the non-caffeinated, lest he finally go into shock considering how much coffee he drinks on a regular basis; he’ll thank her later.

Pulling a water pack out, she resolves to take Lio to a smoothie place or coffee shop at some point so he can actually learn to like something.

Deciding to go twelve packs all the way for Varys, Aina hefts the last crate into the cart and heads for the register, looking over the magazines until it’s her turn.

Once she’s done paying, the cashier asks, “Umm, miss? Are you going to need help lifting these into your car?”

“Oh, no!” She responds cheerfully, “Thank you, but I actually walked here!”

“Wait, does that mean you’re-”

“YOU’RE ALL GOING TO HELL!”

Attention turning to the outside, everyone looks to see a group of protestors out, anti-Burnish signs on display, yelling at and throwing rocks near customers trying to enter.

“You’ve let those monsters back in, it’s only a matter of time before someone you love is burnt alive, because _you_ didn’t stop those _things_!”

Seeing the cashier nervously rub their arm, a glare grows onto Aina’s face.

“Please keep my things up here for a second,” she requests, eyes not leaving the window, “I’ll take care of this.”

Ignoring the calls of the cashier to stay, she heads out with her shopping cart.

“Excuse me,” she asks of the person with the megaphone, “Is there a problem here?”

Looking over the woman, the protestor tells her, “No, the problem is in there, buying our food and planning to burn our children alive!”

“This store is a result of collaboration efforts with several Burnish, so it would be expected that many Burnish citizens would shop here; if you have a problem with that, then you need to take it up with management and the city council instead of standing out here and trying to intimidate people just trying to go about their day.”

Hearing whispers among the group of, “Wait isn’t she with Burning Rescue?,” “They really _are_ working with terrorists, aren’t they?,” Aina feels her blood boil.

“We are just trying to protect humanity from-”

“Other humans who already receive enough discrimination because the government demonized them?”

Losing his patience, the speaker raises his fist to hit her…

…and ends up with said fist caught in her hand.

“So,” she begins calmly, eyebrows still furrowed, “I’m sure you can guess this doesn’t count as a ‘peaceful’ protest, right?”

Lifting the protestor by the arm, she quickly puts them into her empty shopping cart and handcuffs them.

Reporting it in, Aina gives a glare to the rest of the group, letting them know how bad of an idea running would be.

As she gives control to the cops that arrive, she goes back into the store and hands the cashier a number.

“If something like this happens again, call my friend,” she tells them, “He’d be _very_ interested to know what was happening at one of his projects.”

Stunned, the worker manages to get out, “Th-Thank you.”

Waving them off and shaking her head before she lifts her groceries into her arms, she tells, “Nah, it’s just part of my duty to protect the city.” She deflects with a wink.

 _Bleeuuugghhh! That sounds like something Galo would say!_ She bemoans in her head as she starts on her way back home.

 _…Well,_ she thinks with a smile growing on her face, _he’s not wrong._

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Yes,” Remi says exasperatedly to the organic foods store employee on Wednesday, “I need something that doesn’t have a strong taste so a child won’t spend the whole day whining.”

Because Lucia is a brat with job security and she _knows_ it.

He _really_ shouldn’t have to do this.

He distinctly remembers applying to be firefighter, not a babysitter, but here we are.

Luckily, the nice hipster workers can understand his predicament, probably from dealing with parents that have picky children for years.

“I see,” the two-toned, pierced worker says in a sympathetic voice. Giving him a kind smile, she tells him, “Well, celery is eaten raw, so you don’t have to worry about it cooking it and letting out a flavor, and you can add toppings so you can adjust it to your liking. In support, even what you guys are putting on your burgers still end up in the body. And while I don’t recommend it for healthy eating, corn is a barbecue staple for a reason.”

Sighing in relief, Remi graces the worker with a smile, “Thank you, you’ve been a great help to me.”

“No probs, anything for a guy whose team saved the city,” she responds, beaming back at him, “Though, I gotta ask, how old is the little tyke?”

“Oh, she’s twenty-four.”

Walking off from the stunned employee, Remi goes to look for fix-ins for the burgers.

_BeeBeep! BeeBeep!_

Checking his phone, he sees it’s a call from Soleil.

Smiling slightly, he answers, “Hello?”

 _“Hi, sweetie!”_ Comes from the other end.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?” He teases, a slight hint of mischief in his voice.

 _“Uhh! I swear,”_ she complains and he can just imagine the pout on her face, _“Work is all you ever talk about! And this shift is sooooo boring!”_

“That just means there’s no fires going on, nothing wrong with that.”

_“Sigh, why can’t you ever just let me complain?”_

“Because I’d rather find a way to make you happy.”

_“Awww, pookie! You do love me, don’t you?”_

“I will say I’m rather fond of you.”

_“Awww!”_

Grabbing the onions and loading them into his basket, he holds the phone closer to his ear.

 _“So,”_ Soleil starts, _“Are you at the store right now?”_

“Yes, did you need anything?”

_“No, I’m good right now. You’re getting stuff for the big barbecue this weekend?”_

“Yeah, hopefully Lucia actually eats her vegetables this year instead of trying to feed them to Galo again.”

_“Teehee! He does seem like he’s the station’s personal puppy sometimes.”_

“More like Lucia’s lab rat,” He mutters, then asks, “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

 _“No, I’m fine, it’s for your unit, after all. Besides,”_ she teases, “ _If it gets you out of the house and talking to someone besides me, I don’t mind your squad taking my handsome Remi for the day!”_

“Well,” he argues, “It’s not _my_ fault the yard needs constant maintenance.”

_“Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’d all DIE if the blades got a centimeter higher.”_

“You are mocking me, and I request that you stop.”

 _“Alright, alright,”_ she relents, _“But you should bring them all over sometime! I really want to meet Lio Fotia, is he really as beautiful as he looks on TV?!”_

“Until he opens his mouth, yes.” He mutters.

_“Aww, is my sweetie pie jealous? I only have eyes for you, my handsome knight!”_

Willing back a blush and chuckling, he retorts, “I think the time you met Aina proved otherwise.”

 _“Complain all you want,”_ Soleil fires back, _“But I saw you watching us. Were there dirty thoughts going through my sweet Remi’s head when that happened? Maybe of two pretty firefighting ladies getting intimate in front of him?”_

Putting everything he has to keep a bulge from forming in his pants, he warns, “If you keep talking like that, I’m not going to have any energy for when you get home.”

_“Oooooohhh! Then I guess I better finish up! See you later, sweetie! Mmmwhaahhh!”_

“I’ll see you soon, Soleil.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thursday, Lucia heads to the bakery and has Vinny force her to focus and pick one thing.

“C’mon!” She complains, “We’ll pick ONE thing for Saturday, like Remi said, and then we can treat ourselves a little!” _Rich, thick brownies, fluffy cake pops, sinful religieuses, fresh meringues._

“Vinny!” The rat scolds, hidden from sight in her backpack.

“But-” _Delicate, intricately designed cupcakes, pristine tarts, warm strudel._

“Vinny!”

“It’s just-” _Flaky, filled eclairs, cannolis._

“Vinny!”

“Just _one-_ ” _Freakin’ churros!_

_“Vinny.”_

“…Killjoy.”

Looking over the display, she reminds herself to think of other people; it’s a new concept, but she’ll try it.

_Okay, Remi's allergic to strawberries, Aina hates coconut, we don’t want Galo to get another sugar high, we’re still paying off the lawyers, Varys loves just about everything, Lio is a blank canvas and the captain doesn’t trust meringue for…some reason._

In the end, she decides to go with a cake: A lemon one, with blueberries baked in, iced over finely with vanilla icing.

“Alright,” the clerk says as they write down her order, “It should be ready by tomorrow, so be sure to pick it up!”

Nodding in agreement, Lucia pulls her wallet out.

“If you want,” the clerk says, capturing her attention, “We’re currently doing custom designs on our cakes, for just $14.00 more.”

…

That’s outrageous!

…

And totally worth it.

An evil smile growing onto her face, Lucia sees the _perfect_ opportunity to finally get revenge for the water balloon ban.

“I’d love that!” She says, the clerk not seeming to notice the menacing aura surrounding her.

“Splendid! Did you have something in mind?”

Digging through her phone, Lucia searches through her gallery until she finds it.

“Here you go!” She smiles sweetly as she shows the worker, a perfect little angel across the counter.

“…Is this for a prank?”

“Yup!”

“Bitchin’, here’s a link to send it to.”

“Thank you!”

Heading out with a skip in her step, Lucia smiles to herself at the thought of her coworkers' shocked faces.

And of icing getting in the captain’s mustache. That’s always funny.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thursday, at his moms’ farm, Varys busies himself selecting potatoes for Saturday.

“Hmmm…” he mutters to himself as he looks over the patch, “You guys are lookin’ good!”

Taking a deep breath, he breathes in that fresh, clean country air.

_Ahhh…can’t get that back in the city._

He loves the city, don’t get him wrong, but he can’t say he doesn’t miss living out here, the wide plains to run in, the sky clear as the eye can see, stars bursting out at night, the ability to run screaming for miles and no one would hear you, no worrying about whether or not you looked presentable…yeah, he misses living out here.

But…

_“Nice work out there.”_

_“Varys! Lift me to victory!”_

_“Pizza eating contest! You and me, right now, let’s go!”_

_“You are a true prince among men, Varys.”_

_“Thank you for all your help, sir.”_

_“Where would we be without you, Varys?”_

The city’s home too.

The city’s got clouded skies at night, people all on top of each other, some jackass screaming about something stupid on the hour, people who can’t take one minute to stop and breathe, a building wherever you look, someone always out to judge you, and noise coming at you from every direction.

But for all there is to hate it…it’s home.

Because when he can pull someone out of a burning building and get a thank you, or go out for pizza with the crew or just take a second to watch people walk by with a smile, he can feel like he belongs there.

So he’s gonna take something from his home here and make it something that’ll knock ‘em down on their asses!

Gathering the potatoes up, he puts the basket in the back of the car, and gets ready to drive off.

“Now, I know you’re not gonna leave without staying for dinner, are you honey?”

Turning back to see mom, a fake stern look on her face, he chuckles.

“Nah,” he replies, “I love your cooking too much!”

“That’s what I thought,” she nods, “Well come on, your mother should be back from the store soon, in the meantime, you can help chop carrots.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He salutes.


	3. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before the cookout...one last chance to screw everything up.

Friday, Varys skims through the recipe box until he finds the one for his special potato skins.

Smirking to himself, he can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when he brings them over and blows their minds with just how good his cooking is.

He might get a smile out of the captain! Man needs to do that more.

Or maybe Lio’ll want seconds! Twig definitely needs it!

And luckily he’s got enough potatoes to keep Galo occupied, not that he has any room to talk.

Alright!

Thankfully he’s got enough time to get them all cooked before they start grilling tomorrow, so he’s not gonna stress too much about getting them done.

Tucking in early, he’s ready to see everyone in awe at his skills.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After work, Lucia heads to the bakery to get her order.

“Here you are!” The counter work cheerfully says as they slide the cake onto the counter.

“Did you get it?” Lucia questions, anticipation growing by the second.

“Does _this_ answer your question?” The worker questions in response, lifting the cover to show…

Oh. Oh wow.

“It’s even _better_ than I thought it’d be!” Leaving a tip in the jar, she praises, “It’s worth every penny!”

“Thank you. Good luck messing with your friends!”

“No luck needed!”

Hopping out, heading to her place, she and Vinny eagerly await their retribution.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Going over one more check for spots, Remi decides that the vegetables are still fresh enough for tomorrow.

“Are you checking them again?” Soleil calls from the living room, “They’re fine, honey!”

“Well if it turns out one went bad and someone got food poisoning,” he shoots back, “I’d be responsible for it!”

“They’re fine! Now pack them up and cuddle with me!” His darling whines.

“Demanding tonight, aren’t you?” He teases as he makes his way to the couch.

Flinging herself into his lap, she pouts, “Well, we’re not gonna have tomorrow to spend with each other! So I have to make every second count.”

Chuckling, wrapping his arm around her, Remi lets out an, “Oh? What did you have in-”

_Ching, ching!_

Is the sound made by the bells on the collar Soleil pulled out, a smirk on her face.

“You’re not going anywhere tonight, _meow.”_

“…I love you.”

“I love you too, Sweetie!”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Pulling the cooler out of the attic, Aina dusts it off and washes it out. While it dries, she starts on the lemonade.

Mixing it, she can’t help but think about the barbecues she and her family used to have in the summer.

_Mom making lemonade, Dad grilling, Heris and her playing with colored chalk on the driveway…_

_Heris…_

_…_

Wiping the tear off her face, Aina finishes her mixing, and puts the pitcher in the fridge.

Composing herself, she’s determined to keep herself out of funk and have fun tomorrow.

And maybe she’ll visit her sister soon.

Because even if it hurts to see Heris behind bulletproof glass in a jumpsuit…

She’s a lot more fortunate than some of the others.

At least Aina can still see her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Lio?”

Not meeting Galo’s eyes from where the other is pulling out supplies, Lio keeps his vision locked on the table as he says, “I really am useless when it comes to things like this, aren’t I?”

“What? Are you still upset about Monday?” Galo says as he sets the cheese grater down, “Dude! I was just messing!”

“But you weren’t wrong,” Lio shoots back, apathy masking insecurity, as usual, “I can’t cook, I barely understand the various devices here and I’m incapable of helping to pay for utilities, I have to wait for you to take care of it. It’s fine though, I’m used to being a disappointment that just wastes time.”

Okay, he’s on another self-loathing tangent. Time to step in.

Sitting on his haunches in front of Lio, Galo taps the table to get his attention.

Reluctantly meeting his gaze, Lio has enough time to prepare himself when Galo takes his face into his hands. Not so much when he blows a raspberry into his face.

Smacking him off with a chuckle, only to be met with a barrage of unaimed kisses, Lio can barely keep the urge to squirm away down, his frown nonexistent at this point.

“You do plenty,” Galo finally says, “You just don’t see it yet, and that’s okay, ‘cause I’m always gonna be here to make you take it easy on yourself, got it?”

Rolling his eyes, Lio nods.

“Good! And if you wanted to help, you just had to say so!” Taking Lio’s hand, he’s allowed to lead him to the counter, “Grating is super easy! You just slide the block down the grater, and then you clean out the cheese if it gets full!” He explains as Lio ties his hair back, “You do that while I boil the noodles!”

Smirking, Lio asks, “Doesn’t cutting on a stove count as starting a fire, Galo Thymos?”

“…WHY CAN’T YOU LET ME EAT?!!!!!!!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Cleaning off the grill, Ignis checks his watch.

8:59 p.m.

The hour is approaching.

He should leave now, if he wants to get there on time.

Getting the last bit of grime off, Ignis covers the grill up, and heads back in, locking his back door.

Entering his supply closet, he retrieves Totsuka from the blade’s resting place and puts it to his waist.

Locking the closet back up, grabbing a ball cap and a jacket as he makes his way to the front door.

As he walks outside, door locked behind him, he strengthens his resolve.

_I won’t die tonight, I can’t. They still need me…If I’m not here tomorrow, there’s a good chance Lucia will use the confusion to get water balloons._

He can’t die…too many fingers have been lost.

Determined, he begins on his way.


	4. Success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The barbecue is here! The idiots managed to survive!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing outfit descriptions, I hope they don't get annoying or break up the flow of the story!

Walking up the path to the captain’s house, Galo carrying the dish of macaroni while Lio puts his keys into his pocket.

“I can carry it, Galo.” Lio tries to protest.

“Nope!” Galo dismisses cheerfully, “We gotta keep an eye on those bones!”

Sighing, Lio just continues walking, choosing to focus his energy on Galo’s apparel: a yellow crop top with the phrase BRBBQ (which Lio is more than sure Galo wrote himself just for today) spread across it in red, giving him a front row seat to those abs and tiny waist, denim short shorts and sneakers, to keep the heat off himself and let it pool inside of Lio. “Well, we’re completely late.”

“You mean _‘fashionably’_ late?”

“No.”

Pouting at his not in-touch boyfriend, the two come up to the captain’s front door and Galo knocks.

“Galo,” Lio starts, “Are you sure…I’m welcome here? That I…seem like a member of this group?”

Pausing for a moment, scratching his chin, Galo considers the question, before finally saying, “No.”

A flash of horror appears on Lio’s face, but before he can make an effort to leave, Galo says, “The rest of us wear more colors than black,” as he looks Lio over, black sunhat covering the green fluff, sleeveless black button-up tucked into high-waisted shorts (that expose those sexy, sexy legs and accentuate that perfect ass) that Lio _still_ needs a belt for, and ankle boots with the least amount of belts Galo’s ever seen on a pair of Lio’s shoes.

“That’s not-”

Their argument’s cut off by Remi opening the door, clothed in a striped white and coral tank top and skinny jeans with chucks, pushing his glasses up and regarding the two.

“If you’re going to fight,” he starts, “Get it done before you come in.”

Slightly embarrassed, Galo clears his throat and says, “Hey Remi! Got the mac and cheese right here!”

Stepping aside, Remi lets the two enter, and they regard the interior of the captain’s home.

“Hey, Remi?” Galo asks, “Where’s the captain?”

Looking…oddly forlorn, Remi tells him, “Galo…the captain isn’t here, anymore.”

…

“What…”

“He went out to get propane because Vinny accidentally knocked the tank down; he spilt it all over my bag.”

“Aw, that sucks.”

Looking at a closed door, Lio sees spots of…something on the floor.

Getting closer, he sees a faint red color, is that…blood?

Reaching for the doorknob-

_Bam._

Is the sound made by the captain hitting his hand on the door, propane carried by an arm, bandages visible under his gray tank top and one of the legs of his cargo shorts, going to the sandal wearing foot.

“…You don’t want to go in there.” The man tells Lio.

“And how would you know what I want to do?” Lio shoots back as Galo and Remi notice and call out, “Captain!”

Remi approaches the man, taking the container, remarking, “I didn’t hear you come in, sir.”

Grunting, the oldest male remarks, “Probably couldn’t hear me over Galo’s yammering.”

“Hey!” Said loudmouth objects before he notices Lio, “Lio! You’re not supposed to go in there! That room’s on the list of stuff that’s banned, remember?”

“Why’s it banned?” Lio asks Ignis directly, not paying the others any mind, “Is there something that you’re keeping from us, sir?”

“Lio!”

“I have my reasons.” Ignis deflects, arms crossed.

“And they would be?” Lio grits out.

“Fotia…” Remi tries to warn.

“It’s Galo’s birthday present.” Ignis declares.

Gasping, said recipient quickly grabs his partner by the waist and lifts him over his head with one hand, macaroni dish in the other, to much protest, yelling, “See Lio?! The captain wouldn’t do anything bad, NOW QUIT TRYING TO RUIN MY SURPRISE!” And with that, Galo runs them out to the back patio.

“…Galo’s birthday present isn’t in there, is it?” Remi asks flatly.

“Nope.” Ignis responds, also unconcerned.

“Will any of us ever know what’s in your supply closet, sir?”

“If I have any say in it, then no.”

“Or what you were doing last night?”

“Just settling something with an old comrade.”

“Well, just know that _some_ of us believe in you.”

“Eh, don’t be too hard on him; it’s pretty much common sense for him to keep an eye on anyone in power.”

“Still, it’s your house.”

Nodding, Ignis relents, “I’ll talk to him later.”

And with that, the two head out to where the others are.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 _“…The exact situation is still unknown,”_ the newscast on the radio plays out, _“But authorities have confirmed that the slash marks found throughout the park seem to be of Eastern origin, a blade of some sort. It has also been proven that two different types of blood were found, but any attempts to trace them back to a source have proven futile. Joining us now…”_

_Kkrrrshhhh!_

Tuning the radio, Lucia looks for something more interesting, oversized blue tank top with some logo on it fluttering from her erratic motions, slit enough on the sides to reveal a black tube top, purple ripped shorts making jingling noises from the chains, red heavily strapped mid-boots squeaking, arm bangles and wristlets knocking into each other. Vinny, his firefighter helmet switched out for a chef’s hat and a “Kiss the Cook” apron sits on her head, trying to keep from falling.

“Stop playing with that,” Varys scolds lightly, his yellow _Good Vibes!_ t-shirt raising slightly as he puts his arms behind his head, khaki shorts rustling a bit as he crosses his legs, brown sandals hanging off slightly, “That things an antique; if you break it, the captain’s gonna grill _you!”_

“I wonder how I’d taste,” Lucia wonders aloud, momentarily stopping in her pursuit for entertainment to enter a thinking position, much to the relief of Vinny.

Before Varys can try to talk her out of auto-cannibalism, Aina calls out, “Hey! Galo and Lio are here!” And she waves hopping excitedly, causing her breasts to bounce under her tight orange turtleneck crop top, short denim skirt swishing, sunglasses bouncing slightly, brown mary jane’s hitting the pavement softly.

“Your nose is bleeding, Varys.”

“So’s yours, Little Gremlin.”

“What’s up?!” Galo calls out excitedly, putting Lio down finally, the smaller dusting himself off.

“Nothin’ much,” Varys greets back after rubbing at his nose, “Just waiting until everyone gets on their knees in reverence of the man who makes potato skins for the gods!”

“Ohhoho!” Galo shoots back, challenged, “Well you’re gonna be waitin’ for a while, ‘cause ‘ _Lio de Galon’s Ultra Delicious Macaroni and Cheese of Burning Hot Cooking Skills_ ’ is all anyone’s gonna be talking about for the next two weeks!”

“…If they could remember the name,” Lio snarks as he greets Lucia, Vinny jumping over to nuzzle him, “Hello Vinny, how are you?”

“Vinny!” The rat declares enthusiastically from Lio’s clasped hands, twirling and flaunting his new apparel, “Vinny?”

“Yes, I think it looks very cute,” Lio says with a slight chuckle.

“Uhh, Lio?” Lucia says, grabbing his attention, “Read what it says.”

Doing as Lucia suggested, a small, “Oh,” escapes, before he lifts Vinny up for a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for helping, Vinny.”

Said rat proceeds to set off like a rocket, leaving behind a trail of heart shaped clouds of smoke.

“HEY!” Galo yells out, indignant, “I didn’t get a kiss for cooking!”

“Well, his attire appeared to have requisites, I had to help.” Lio says, indifferent.

“Well, TWO can play at that game! Someone, get me a marker!”

While Galo is denied by all that he asks, Ignis and Remi return.

“All right,” the captain calls out, getting everyone’s attention, “I’m starting the grill, everyone get ready to eat in a bit.”

Cheers erupt from Varys and Galo which quickly turn back into an argument over who’s food will we be better.

“Come on, guys,” Aina complains, “What did we say about competitions?!”

“You guys said ‘No _races_ ,’” Galo shoots back, “We’re not being timed, so anything goes!”

“Like my potato skins kicking your macaroni’s ass!” Varys calls out cockily.

“Like hell!” Galo yells back, “When you insult my macaroni’s ass, not only are you insulting it’s ass, you’re also insulting my ass _and_ Lio’s ass!”

Lio’s utterance of, “Please don’t bring me into this,” is drowned out by Varys yelling, “Hey, hey! I’m not saying _anything_ about that piece of art!”  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

After they enjoy Varys’ potato skins (Which Galo begrudgingly admits were good, but Lio de Galon’s macaroni will be even better) and the captain and Vinny begin flipping burgers, the conversation turns to what’s hot right now.

“So no one knows what happened in that park?” Aina asks.

“Nope,” Remi clarifies, “All we know is that two people were confirmed to have been there, and someone was using old Eastern weaponry.”

No one notices the look Lio gives the captain.

“But,” Lucia cuts in, “Aina here is on her way to going viral.”

Burying her face in her hands, Aina moans, “Oh my gosh, Lucia, shut up.”

Giggling evilly at the confused looks thrown her way, Lucia pulls out her phone and shows them a video.

“Looks like some bigoted assholes were bothering some customers at a convenience store, so our lovely pilot took it upon herself to handle it.”

“Dude!” Galo calls out, “You just _lifted_ that jerk up and threw him into a shopping cart?! AWESOME!”

“Yeah,” Varys cuts in, “Almost makes me wish we had you takin’ care of business on the ground!”

“I hope you actually called the proper authorities afterwards,” Remi scolds lightly, a hand pressed to his forehead.

“Well, DUH!” Aina shoots back, offended.

“That place,” Lio pipes in for the first time in a while, slightly alarmed, “That’s one of the stores the Burnish were involved in founding…”

“Don’t worry,” Aina immediately responds, as Galo slips his hand over Lio’s, “The cops took in everyone involved, and I already gave a cashier your number in case something happens again.”

Looking relieved, Lio gives her a simple nod and a, “Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” She says cheerfully, before quckly adding, “But that doesn’t give you permission to wreck someone’s shit.”

“One time…”

Not expecting the sudden head pat from the captain, Aina looks up just as he says, “Good job,” before he goes back to where Vinny took over.

“Oh!...Thanks, Captain!”

“Chin up!” Lucia encourages, nudging the other woman, “You’re the second most trending video in town!”

“What’s number one?” Galo asks, curiously as Lucia pulls something up.

“You and Lio at the store,” she responds teasingly as she hits play.

Watching Galo beg on his knees, the crew accordingly reacts in horror at the reveal of the cock cage.

Lio just sips from his glass without a care in the world.

“…You put him in a WHAT?!!!” Aina demands.

“A cock cage,” Lio clarifies, “Also, this lemonade is wonderful.”

The mere uttering of the phrase sends shivers down Remi’s spine, painful reminders of a particularly strange argument with Soleil.

“Dude!” Varys calls out in shock, “How did you get home?!”

“Lio carried me!” Galo calls back enthusiastically, “And DUDE!” He yells out, excited to Lio, “We’re trending!”

“Because you got on your knees to get out of a sex thing!” Aina yells back in frustration.

“Still trending!”

“Hmm…” Lio mumbles, “I suppose that could reflect badly on the Burnish’s attempts to be seen as more than sadistic criminals trying to exert power over the weak,” he wonders, in a thoughtful state, “But the idea of Galo humiliated, begging for forgiveness on his knees for billions to see…just makes it all better.” He concludes, a slight blush on his face.

“YEAH!” Galo agrees, “No bad consequences! Now, I’m going to go the bathroom for peeing reasons that have NOTHING to do with what Lio just said!” He says, getting up, taking Lio’s hat to cover his crotch with, walking backwards, bumping into things before he finally managed to feel the door and rush inside.

…

“…You are a disturbed little man.” Aina finally tells Lio.

“That…is a fair observation.” He agrees without any sense of feeling insulted.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

As the burgers finish cooking, Galo and Remi start delivering sides and vegetables to everyone’s plates while Lio gets called to help the captain plate meat.

“I know you have your issues with authority,” the man tells him calmly, “But believe me, when I keep secrets, it’s to protect you, not to hurt you.”

“…That’s what they all say,” the smaller bites back, angrily looking down at the ground.

“I get it,” the captain reassures him, “When someone’s lived a life like yours, it makes it hard to trust anyone really…but no one here wants to hurt you. Okay?”

Still looking down, the kid doesn’t answer.

“Alright,” Ignis concedes, “Take your time, we’ll wait for you to get yourself straightened out.”

Patting the tiny shoulder, startling the smaller, Ignis takes the plate and leaves him with, “But just so you know, we already consider you one of us.”

Stunned for a few seconds, Lio eventually heads back to the table, Vinny hitching a ride on his shoulder.

“Alright!” Galo calls out, “Who’s ready to taste something made around Lio and I’s blood, sweat and tears?!”

“Don’t you mean ‘with?’” Aina questions.

“Ew, no! What happened was Lio cut his fingers cleaning out the grater in the sink, which made me cry and Lio kept the heat on last night, so I was _sweaty_!”

“…Burning Rescue was a mistake.”

The meal, of course, devolves into chaos over Lucia having to eat vegetables, everyone taking a turn to shovel more food onto Lio’s plate, Aina squeezing her head at the stupidity of men, Remi trying (and failing) to keep voices at a minimum, and Galo and Varys’ ongoing feud flaring up until the captain finally decides to put his foot down and threaten them with cleaning Vinny’s pan (which clearly offends the rat).

It’s loud, threats are thrown, poses are erected, stances are taken and someone may become traumatized of celery…so, overall, pretty great barbecue everyone decides, laughing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Dessert…happened.

Lucia finally unveiled the cake, revealing a print of…

“Lucia?” Remi asks without any trace of feeling in his voice, “Why does the cake have a print of you flipping all of us off?”

Leaning back, satisfied at the disgusted faces around her, Lucia smiles smugly and answers, “This is what happens when you ban balloons. Now, who wants to eat me out?!”

…

“Lio…” Galo starts, “Put your hand down.”

“You can join in,” his partner tries to bargain.

_BAM!_

Is the sound made by the captain’s fists coming down on Lio and Lucia’s heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Remi got caught thinking about Lio going to town on Lucia. I hope you enjoyed! Have a great summer!


End file.
